AN: Sorry for the very long gap between chapters. I had some personal issues to deal with that delayed this chapter, however things are getting better and I hope to be able to get the rest of this arc done relatively soon. But without further adieu, he's the next chapter!
Chapter 32: A Study In Sorrow
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Masato found himself running as fast as he could, running towards the train station in Asakita. He could hear himself panting for breath, and from the sounds of things, others were behind him. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he couldn't stop to turn around. He had to carry on, as far as his legs would carry him, or else all would be for naught.
Just as he reached the station, where a train was pulling in to Platform 3, he saw countless people screaming in terror at what must have been behind him. From here, one could get onto a track that would lead one out of the city – which, he knew, was where he was headed. The clock struck 4:44 pm, not a particularly lucky point in time.
"Masato?!"
He gasped. Dorothy? His girlfriend, in Japan? How could she possibly be here? She hadn't told him she was coming.
He paused, in terror. Without thinking, he screamed.
"Run! You've got to get out of Shinshuto, now!"
"W-What the hell is -"
Before she could finish, he tripped, his laces having come undone. As he did, he heard many voices screaming his name, but among the hysteria of the hundreds of people around him, he could only make out two voices clearly. His sister's and his girlfriend's.
"NO! Masato, please get up and -"
He tried to get up, but suddenly, everything around him turned to darkness. The last thing he saw was a horrified Dorothy's face, even paler than normal. The station seemed to be collapsing around him. Now, he was floating through endless darkness, and saw parts of the train station breaking apart and dissolving away. Half of the train he saw arrive was sinking into this void, and there appeared to be people inside.
Then, everything suddenly stopped moving, and he could no longer see anything. Even his own body. He didn't seem able to feel anything, either. But from far away, he heard a deeply saddened voice, sobbing, her words barely coherent.
"...Sorry...I'm so sorry...I didn't...I didn't mean for this to happen…!"
Masato tried to call out his name, but he didn't seem able to produce any sound. He didn't even feel his mouth move. It was as if nothing of him existed anymore. Was this what dying was?
There was a flash of red, and then he seemed to be hurtling through time and space – back into his own bed, sweating with terror. He tried to relax his breathing, but his dream had terrified him far too much for him to calm down.
What the hell was that dream?
He reached for his phone, and grimaced. It was 4:32 am – but with his mind in this state, he would never be able to get back to sleep. Just then, however, he noticed his Gnosis had a notification. A security message, something he had never seen before.
An unknown number has attempted to contact this Gnosis device. For the interest in your own safety, as well as maintaining stability, this number has been blocked, and will be neutralised in the near future. Please take caution in future, and report any unusual activity to your superior, whomever it may be.
He didn't understand at all. What unknown number was this? Was it simply someone he hadn't already met before? His Gnosis had received messages from all of his friends before without error. Trying to forget it, he spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.
|May 22nd|Golden Laguna Hotel|16:13 pm|
The twins arrived first, after another futile attempt to track down their senpai. Sighing, Natsumi sat on her favourite armchair, while her brother paced himself.
"You've been really weird today, Masato. Is it about that nightmare you had last night?"
"...How did you know?" Masato asked.
"Well...I kind of heard you gasp with fright. At the same time I did." Natsumi said. "You see, I had one too. It was weird. We were running towards the train station, and tons of people were there. I thought I saw your Dorothy -"
"Holy shit!" Masato screamed. "That's...the exact same dream I had!"
"Really? Including the part where everything seemed to turn black? That scared the hell out of me! I heard you in your room tossing and turning..."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Twins they might be, but most twins don't share the same dreams. Especially not such traumatic ones. Dorothy's anguished face, the shrieking people at the station, that train breaking apart into pieces, it was like a disaster movie.
"This is creepy. I wonder if anyone else had the same dream..." Masato said, concerned. "A lot of us were running together, right? I couldn't see anyone, at least, out of our team. I just heard lots of other footsteps. We were running for our lives."
Natsumi shivered, biting her lip, as she often did when distressed. "I don't know what this means...but we shouldn't worry anyone else. If no one else brings it up, we'll keep it between us. Okay?"
"If...you're sure, sis, fine." Masato said.
Right on cue, the Kansei group arrived. They seemed to be in relatively good spirits, all things considered, especially Shintaro.
"H-hey, Shintaro-kun! You're looking cheery today. Did you finish all your homework before it was even handed out or something?" Natsumi asked.
Kohaku chuckled. "Of course not. He's just happy because he's finally started dating -"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Shintaro shouted, blushing. "I was going to tell them!"
"At least it wasn't me this time." Akari said, amused, while Noburo also laughed.
"I knew it!" Masato said, playfully. "You finally got together with the madamoiselle, huh?"
"You tried so hard to play the 'just friends' card, but anyone can tell you wouldn't just leave it that way..." Natsumi said. "But this is great!"
"It is?" Kei asked, frowning. "She's nearly ten years older than him, remember."
"So what? They're happy together. And a little happiness goes a long way these days." Noburo said, frowning back at Kei. Her lip quivered, but she continued.
"Hmm. Happiness, is that it? Shintaro, have you really thought this through? She could be more dangerous than you think."
"What is she going to do to him, exactly? Write limericks about him?" Akari asked.
Kei glared at her, so intensely the animal lover actually looked way with fright.
"I'm not playing around here like the rest of you. Shintaro, I know you've got a romantic image in your head of charming the heart of an older woman. A fantasy that you've had for a long time. Someone mature, smart, educated, and beautiful. But it might not be as innocent as you think. Celestine might just be putting on an act so she could use you, and you're too lovestruck to notice."
Shintaro couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. She was always the quiet one, and now here she was, lecturing him about his fantasies of love. But it was no longer a fantasy. His feelings for Celestine were true, so true.
"How dare you say that! You don't know Celestine at all, Kei. And to be honest, you don't know me inside out, either. So do me a favour and keep your lectures to yourself."
"...Fine. Just fine. If that's what you really want." She scowled, however, and looked away.
"Um..." Akari mumbled. "Noburo! Do something to lighten the mood! Like...um...Oh! You had some big news of your own, remember?"
"Oh! Yeah, I sure do. Introducing..."
There was a moment of silence, and the group looked around the suite. Nothing seemed to be happening, however.
"Ahem. I said, introducing..."
Again, the room was still, and Shintaro raised an eyebrow, confused.
"That's your cue, doofus!"
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and out came a young man, sans his heavy coat. He seemed to be back to his athletic, carefree self, and no longer needed crutches.
"Kaii!" Akari exclaimed. "You're okay? What are you doing here?"
"Hey you guys. It's been a while." He walked over, and patted his brother's head. "I've decided to drop being an Aeon Admin. But once you do that, there's only one other place you can go with this Persona power, and that's here. And you all seem friendlier than those dumb Aeons anyway, so here I am!"
"Glad to have you on the team." Kei finally said, holding out her arm to shake. "You've fully recuperated, right?"
"Heck yeah. I feel better than ever. I can probably punch out a whole horde of Vetala now." Kaii said.
"...Did he just say he was going to beat up some Italians?" Masato asked, confused.
"So, Noburo's already brought me up to speed. There's an Anomaly out there that you can't find, and these guys from Chieki might have Gnosis of their own now. What are we gonna do about it?"
"Reia's got a program on her computer that's constantly scanning the city for any Anomaly activity. Although she's only been able to gather a limited amount of data on them, so trying to isolate them from regular Shadows is a lot harder." Shintaro said, glad his love life was no longer being discussed.
"As for Evelina and Toshiaki, our senpai..." Natsumi said, disheartened. "They keep avoiding us at school. We barely see them, and when we do, they just keep slipping away. I'm starting to think Bythos have already gotten to them. Even weirder, they keep going towards the teacher's lounge."
Kaii grimaced. "Bastards! Already trying to replace me? Dammit, all of they treated me like shit. Everybody except Toki!"
Kohaku's expression turned sour at the mention of this name. Shintaro, likewise, didn't feel comfortable with the idea of befriending this man. Being kidnapped by someone in general did not lead to a happy relationship, after all.
"What?" Kaii asked.
"Um...oh, it's nothing." Shintaro said.
"Oh yeah...I'm an idiot. I forgot about what Toki did..." Kaii said, morose.
"It's not like it's your fault. Besides, I survived. Look, our superiors will be here soon. Noburo, you cleared it with Komatsu-san for Kaii to come here, right?"
"Of course, Shintaro-senpai. My dad will be here soon. Until then, let's just sit back and relax."
"Yeah!" Akari said. "Or we can look at my pet pictures. You remember my guinea pigs, right? Well, the other day, Shiro was eating a slice of apple, and she was so adorable you wouldn't believe it, and I got a video of her squeaking! Anyway, the other one, Kuro..."
LATER
"So, you've officially abandoned your position with Bythos. You do realise that you can never go back on this decision, correct?" Shigeru asked, frowning. He seemed in an even fouler mood than normal. From what Noburo had said at school, he had been under a lot of stress at work. And there had been rumours of Mayor Ashikaga being rather curt with her staff. Perhaps even Shigeru was no exception.
"Oh yeah. But that's fine with me. Nisa Liat's not a great boss anyway." Kaii said. "Anyway, now that I'm here, I'm gonna tell you about some of the other Aeon Admins."
Reia got ready to take down some notes, so she and Novalie could prepare to research each one as fully as possible. "Great! Then let's get some details. First of all, who are all of them?"
"Okay, so you already know about Keiya, Asami, Toki, me, and Rinaka. Right?" Kaii asked.
"Yes. Five out of nine." Hiroyuki said. "Although with your absence, there are only eight."
"Yup, and it's not going to go up, at least I hope not. To start with, aside from one, the Admins are divided into pairs of two. Rinaka's paired up with -"
Suddenly, there was a dark green flash from Kaii's Gnosis, and it seemed to blind him. He dropped the phone, screaming in pain.
"Murayama?!" Novalie ran to his aid, as did Akari. "What's happened?"
Kaii opened his eyes, and blinked. He looked around, heart pounding, with sweat lashing off his head.
"She's...she's here!"
From the Gnosis, a holographic image appeared. It was of a very smug looking young lady, none other than Nisa Liat. The minute he saw her, however, Shigeru gasped in terror.
"You poor fool, Kaii. I thought you knew better than to blab secrets about our organisation. Just as well I thought to put in a failsafe..." She said, cackling somewhat maniacally.
"Failsafe?!" Kohaku demanded. "What have you done?"
"Don't worry. He'll be alright, physically." Nisa Liat continued. "I've simply been very cautious. You see, when each Aeon gains their role, their Gnosis automatically installs a program that detects their particular allegiance to me and my cause. And when that breaks, and confidential data may be leaked, the app...flashes their device and their memory."
"Memory…?" Akari asked.
"Do I have to explain the concept of human memory to you? Idiocy must be one of Kansei's core classes. In essence, Kaii has forgotten the faces and names of the Aeon Administrators you haven't yet discovered. Not all of them are comfortable with their identities being widely known by yourselves, after all."
"You...bitch!" Shintaro shouted.
"Calm yourself, Nakahara. The time will come where you meet them. But not yet. Well...maybe one of them. Masato and Natsumi, your meagre attempts at reconnaissance must have led you to some sort of conclusion. Who do your precious senpai spend most of their time with these days?"
"Huh?" Masato asked. "Well, that's..."
"Don't they spend a lot of time going to the teacher's lounge? You did notice that, I assume?"
Natsumi glared hatefully at their mysterious nemesis, who laughed once more. Kaii gazed at her, in horror.
"Dammit…" He moaned.
"From now on, none of our Admins will hesitate to battle you or your friends. You might consider being more cautious, not that it will do you any favours. I've still not been able to track down your exact location, but...it's only a matter of time. I'm sure we'll meet again..."
With that, the holograph disappeared, and the group was left stunned. Nisa Liat's powers were far beyond theirs, it appears. Yet from her words, it seemed Michiko had an idea of what she meant.
"It's him." She said, shocked. "It has to be..."
"Him who?" Netuno asked. "C'mon, don't keep us in the dark! We're in enough deep shit as it is!"
"Shiro Koyanagi."
Shintaro gasped. That teacher his friends in Chieki loathed – who had never once been spoken of in anything resembling a positive tone. Could he truly be involved with Bythos? And was he truly brainwashing two of his own students.
"Shiro..." Michiko said, her face ashen. Her fists were shaking with rage. For the first time, Shintaro saw her outraged. And it sent a shiver down his spine.
"I..." Kaii said, shaking his head. "...I was gonna tell you about the other guys in Bythos, right? I...I really can't remember them anymore. It's like Nisa just said. I didn't even think she'd be so careful...it's all my fault."
"Don't be sorry. We have a new lead to follow. Everyone, we're going to investigate this Koyanagi." Shigeru said.
"Um..." Reia said, awkward. "This might be a bad time to mention, but there's been reports of strong Shadows in Hiyashi."
"What are you talking about, Reia?" Netuno asked. "How bad is it?"
"It's above average on the badness scale. Five of them roaming Hiyashi, locations too hard to pinpoint. Perhaps now would be a good time to test out our skills and vanquish all five of these foes. Don't you think?" Reia asked, with a sly grin.
"Hell yeah!" Kaii said. "I might have lost the juicy details I wanted to tell you guys, but I'm sure I'm still as tough as before! Just you watch, I'll crush all those Shadows! Or at least, one of them. Don't want to hog the limelight, hehe."
"I'm sure there's no danger of that." Shigeru said, slightly amused. "We'll spread out throughout Hiyashi. In teams of two each. Nakahara and Kakusa will take the north east. The Yoshinaga siblings, the easternmost part of Hiyashi. Ito and Teruya, you two the south-east. Noburo, I'm putting you in charge of your brother in the south. Michiko, Hiroyuki, take the south-west. Netuno, Reia, the east. As for Novalie and myself, we will take the north-east."
Really? I don't really want to go with Kei right now, not after everything she just said. But I don't really want to get into an argument with Komatsu-san either. Fine, I'll keep the peace. For now.
"Then let's go and spread out! Hiyashi is gonna be one hell of a battlefield tonight, guys! Get ready to rock!" Netuno yelled, rather excited.
"I'm so ready. Totally." Reia said, as flat as possible.
|Hiyashi – Mana Tower|17:15 pm|
Flying around the trendy shopping district was an eerie avian Shadow – the Hresvelgr, of Norse myth. At first glance, it seemed to be a large, white feathered bird, albeit with an impressive wingspan. Yet, beneath those wings, the bird didn't appear to have an actual body, rather fearsome anguished faces, whose countenances glowed an unearthly blue.
"Hmm. That tower over there should be a good place to perch myself upon."
The tower it had chosen was a somewhat striking metallic tower, circular in shape, known as the Mana Tower. Taking inspiration from the Yggdrasill of Norse myth, the building had various tree motifs, both inside and out. At night, its neon green lights made it quite the landmark. Inside, it had many stores and businesses geared towards fantasy-loving otaku.
"So even in this land in the East, the legend of Yggdrasill inspires the architects. Intriguing."
It landed on the structure on top of the tower, which was suitably a large metal tree. Observing this Shadow, from several floors up in a nearby office building, was Shiro, Behind him were Rinaka, Evelina and Toshiaki.
"I knew this would be a weird Shadow just by it's name, but..." The athlete commented.
"It means 'Corpse Swallower'. According to the Gnosis, anyway. Everything I've encountered, it has an entry of it's mythological origins." Evelina said, reading her phone.
"This Shadow has been flying around the area for quite some time. It seems recent tensions amongst businesses and shoppers in Hiyashi have given birth to it. So far, it's influence seems to have caused a minor increase in shoplifting, particularly for one unfortunate florist." Shiro said. He seemed much more enthused when talking about Shadows than he did about his own speciality, Toshiaki thought.
"So today, you want us to fight it?" Evelina asked, eagerly.
"Yes. You've been training quite a bit with the Shadows we designated you to fight. From now on, however, we'd like you to challenge that bird. Which means just the two of you." Shiro said. "The Hresvelgr doesn't seem exceptionally more powerful than anything else you've encountered, but just in case, me and Rinaka will observe and be ready to intervene if necessary."
"Really? I don't wanna be watched in every single fight." Toshiaki said, annoyed. "It's hard enough using my Persona without you making notes on every little thing."
"Then prove your worth today, and strike down that bird of prey. As long as it remains in flight, you'll need to rely on your marksmanship, Evelina." Rinaka said, folding her arms.
"That shouldn't be a problem. You trained me personally, after all." Evelina said, smiling. "Toshi, we're moving out. With this, we'll be even closer to becoming Aeon Admins!"
Toshiaki nodded, but as he did, he felt a shiver down his spine. No matter how much courage he tried to summon, he could still not ask Shiro about his mother and father.
Maybe once I'm an Admin like him, he'll have to acknowledge me. And then he'll feel bad for treating me like dirt back in school. Then, I can ask him about that strange vision with him and Nisa Liat.
|Hiyashi – Book Wyrm|17:20 pm|
Exploring in complete silence, Shintaro looked around a particular street in Hiyashi, home to his favourite book store. There, on display, was Celestine's various books. Yet in his eyes, she was most beautiful when sitting right across from him, gazing deeply into his soul.
"Look. There's something inside."
Kei pointed inside the store, at something by the cash register. It was a muscular warrior, wearing a bear-skin and clutching a fearsome sword. And it seemed to be struggling to contain its rage, having destroyed a number of shelves and cabinets already.
"Oh my goodness. Shintaro, you must know what that being is, right?" Kei asked.
"From the looks of things, it's a Berserker. And it's an apt name, as far as Shadows go. Of course, wearing a bear skin these days would make everyone mad, not just its wearer." Shintaro said, coldly. "You aren't going to sulk at me the whole night, are you?"
"No. Not at all." Kei said, forcefully. "Let's just get this over with."
Sighing, the young reader opened the door, and as soon as he stepped inside, the full extent of the Berseker's rage was clear to see. An entire staircase had been smashed to pieces, and shredded pages were everywhere. Thousands of books had been desecrated in a single night.
"I am Berserker. Do you seek my life? My rage will never be pacified, even after your blood dries on my sword!"
"Charming." Kei said, rolling her eyes. "Being dead ought to make you more placid."
Shintaro and Kei summoned their Personas, ready for battle.
|Mana Tower|17:25 pm|
The two Chieki Academy students wandered towards the arched entrance to the tower – as they did, however, the bird saw them, and screeched, it's call echoing throughout the land. In fact, it seemed to have set off a myriad of car alarms.
"Holy shit!" Toshiaki cried.
The Hresvelgr flew down, flapping its huge wings, and gazed at the two students with violent intent. Clenching her fists, Evelina glared at it back, while her companion faltered.
"So! There are humans here after all, daring to disturb my slumber?"
"But you weren't even asleep!"
"I was almost asleep, you impudent boy. You seek my blood, don't you?"
"Not your blood, specifically. We just need to kill you. Nothing personal." Evelina said, withdrawing her guns.
"If you insist on dying young, then so be it. I'll blow your remains even further away than the land you come from!"
"Toshi! Arm yourself!" Evelina barked. The Shadow advanced, as she fired bullets at its haunting plumage.
|Hiyashi – Iron Nation|17:28 pm|
While the city had many gyms around the city, the Iron Nation, was the most grandiose, with many different fitness courses on offer. A 50 meter swimming pool, complete with a side diving pool, a constantly updated gym area, an indoor basketball court amongst other classes made it extremely popular.
Inside the Theio Kosmos, however, the place had been savaged. Akari flinched at the sight of the destroyed equipment. Despite most of the machines being made of durable materials, they had been slashed to pieces by something truly ferocious.
"This is creeping me out." She said.
"Relax, Akari-chan." Kaii said, despite his own misgivings. "We can handle this."
"I sure hope you're right." The area was quiet. Whatever had run amok here seemed to be dormant now. Still, the two of them kept their eyes open, scanning their environment.
"Damn. What a waste. The gym I go to has nothing on this place." Kaii said.
"I don't really work out..." Akari said. "Well, walking the dog is all the exercise I need. That, and running after my guinea pigs. Drives my parents crazy. Does Toki like animals too?"
"Well, he seems to love dogs anyway. And mine loves him. Keeps licking his face. I'm almost jealous. But it keeps all three of us happy, so I'm not complaining."
"It's still a bit odd, you going from Aeon Admin to just one of the group." Akari said. "And...what's happening with your dad? You're still living with him, aren't you?"
"Well, he's decided he's going to stay in Bythos. And act as a double agent. Problem is, he'll be under a lot of surveillance. So it'll be harder for him to get info to us. And then he might have to fight us again, and act like we're still enemies..." Kaii said, anxious.
Akari frowned. "Then why doesn't he just quit Bythos altogether, like you? He'd be a lot happier, fighting alongside both his sons. And you liked being his partner as an Admin, right? He was the only one that respected you."
"...I get what you mean. Thing is, Nisa Liat is dangerous. I'm surprised all her failsafe did was erase my memories. If Toki tries the same, she might go even further. He was always a lot stronger than me, so she'll be even more determined to keep him from falling into the wrong hands."
As he spoke, he looked away, worried. With that, Akari finally understood. He had finally met his real father, and was still getting to know him. The last thing he wanted was to lose everything he had been searching for.
"I see...don't worry. Now that you're one of us, you'll get a lot more respect. Especially from Noburo and me." Akari finally said. "I've always felt like I was a little bit of an underdog...and it sounds like you have, to. But we can change that, right now. Starting with...this!"
Suddenly, she summoned Epona, who immediately cast a potent Psio on a partially destroyed treadmill. Kaii gasped, but when he saw what was lurking behind it, he realised what his former colleague was doing.
"OW! How did you know where I was?!"
The speaker seemed canine in form, but rather hellish in design. Its fur was black and smooth, and its tail was almost reptilian in nature, covered with spikes. It was wearing a collar with giant spikes. Instead of a head, it had a bright green flame, with a red skull within the fire.
"An underdog like me can sense even under-er-dogs!" Akari said, smirking. Kaii winced at this, but kept quiet. "You're a funny looking dog. What kind of breed are you?"
"I'm a Hellhound, you brain-dead bimbo! I'll crush your bones to dust!"
"Not bad, Akari! You think we can tame this hell of a dog?" Kaii asked, excited, as he summoned Grannus.
"If I didn't, I would have run away by now." Akari said. "Let's do this!"
|Mana Tower|17:35 pm|
"Damn! I can't hit this thing!" Evelina said, glaring at the nimble Hresvelgr. Despite its large size, the bird was quite fast, making it hard to hit. It did seem vulnerable to ice, but Toshiaki was running low on energy.
Making matters worse were the fierce wind spells this being had. Each Garula it could cast tore through the area around them, and with its bulk, it could bash its opponents around with ease. While Evelina had been granted many healing items, their supply was dwindling, and the fight was still without end.
"If this is the best Bythos have to offer, then this world still remains property of the Shadows. Perhaps the humans should be content with destroying their own realm..."
"Damn. He's a lot stronger than we thought." Toshiaki said, his body still hurting from the various blasts of wind.
"I know, but we can't give up now. That'd be a coward's way out." Evelina said. "We can still win this. I have to, so that Rinaka will -"
"There she is! Evelina-senpai!"
The two senpai froze, and even the Hresvelgr was caught by surprise. Running onto the scene were Masato and Natsumi, their fellow students.
"What?!" Toshiaki shouted.
"How the hell did you get into this world?" Evelina demanded.
"That's what I wanna know!" Masato yelled.
"More idiotic humans trying to claim this world as their own, eh? I was growing tired of these inexperienced children trying to claim my life. I'll eradicate all your miserable lives instead. Should be far more interesting..."
"Oh no! Natsumi, Masato, you must leave!" Evelina shouted, desperately. "You heard what he said! He'll kill you!"
"Relax, I can hit this thing out of the park. Watch!" Masato cheered. "Go, Ogma!"
Evelina and Toshiaki watched, in shock, as the sight of Ogma and Brigid. They hadn't quite expected this – no Admin ever mentioned who exactly had Personas in this world, besides themselves.
"Let's go! Chieki Academy's finest, together at last!" Natsumi cheered.
|Hiyashi – Yosei Forest|17:35 pm|
One of the few parts of Shinshuto that had not been built on, the Yosei Forest could be accessed by a path on the outskirts of Hiyashi. It was still quite a breathtaking place, barely touched over the years, and deer were commonly sighted further within. The forest never used to have a name, but in the 1950's, a girl called Eriko Yubari won a competition to name it. She named it 'Fairy Forest', yet officially the city named it with the Japanese word for fairy – Yosei.
"Never thought we'd be looking for a Shadow here." Noburo said. "Isn't this one the places that inspired Aika Makino's music?"
"Yes! She has a lot of tracks with 'Forest' in there somewhere, lyrics or title. Sometimes in another language, like that weird track she recorded in Spanish. Fluently, thankfully. Truth is, I used to love coming here as well."
"You used to?" Noburo asked, curious.
"Yeah..." Kohaku said. "Me and Natsumi were friends many years ago, when we were still really young. Most days, we hang out with Shintaro and Masato, the four of us, and it was wonderful. But when it was just Natsumi and me, we came here as many times as we could. We used to run around all over the place, pretending we were fairies or elves and we'd live in the forest forever, away from the hustle and bustle of the city."
Noburo grinned, trying to imagine this. "Kohaku-senpai, the Elf Princess? I like the sound of that!"
"Oh, stop it! I'm serious!" Kohaku said, but she couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, she had chosen that exact wording years ago, but Natsumi had wanted to be an Elf Princess as well. And so they kept staying there far later than they had promised, much to their parent's chagrin.
"So what happened?" Noburo asked. "I know you and Shintaro have been friends for years, but you lost touch with the twins, right?"
"Yeah. It was pretty bad. Natsumi fell into a bad crowd, and stopped talking to me after a while. She joined in their cruel bullying - and it was cruel, I won't deny that. Most of it was Natsumi being told what to do by the bigger girls, though. Even so, I started to really hate her, and in turn, this place."
"That's..." The actor couldn't quite finish his thought. Kohaku shook her head, wiping away a tear.
"It's fine. We're friends again, and more than that. We're comrades. Still, my childhood days of playing here are over with. I never thought I'd be back here again." Kohaku said. "It's so beautiful here, even after all these years. It's not fair to this forest. I'm going to try to come here in the normal world. And if Natsumi wants to join me, that'd be even better. But if she can't make it, maybe you'd like to…?"
"Sure." Noburo said, smiling. "Thanks, Kohaku. You've been so kind to me, with everything that's happened."
"Kind? You've come here to kill me, you evil humans!"
Kohaku, instinctively, summoned her naginata. Walking towards them was an Elf, with typically long and pointy ears, as well as long flowing black hair. She had a simple yet graceful white dress, and deep purple eyes.
"That girl's a Shadow?" Noburo asked. "They really do come in all shapes and sizes, don't they?"
"Don't let your guard down." Kohaku said. "Not all creatures who live in this forest are friendly."
"You've spoiled the modern world. Are you trying to desolate this forest as well? I won't have it. You'll be destroyed by my hand!"
"Let's go, Noburo! We can do it!" Kohaku cheered.
"I know!"
Airmid and Aengus both summoned, it was time for them to start yet another battle this evening.
|Mana Tower|17:40 pm|
With four Persona users constantly on the attack, the avian Shadow no longer had the fearsomeness it had earlier today, nor any of its arrogance. Still, it had one last move – a mighty Magarula, blowing through the streets of Hiyashi. Windows shattered, traffic lights fell over, cars were overturned, and the four targets were sent flying.
"Oww!" Natsumi yelled.
"This sucks..." Masato said, as he got to his feet. "This is worse than that time I got attacked by all those seagulls."
"Oh yeah..." Natsumi said. "I still don't know how mum got that coat cleaned."
"I...won't...give in to you fools! Not...while...I can still...fly..."
Evelina felt a twinge of sympathy for the Shadow. If it truly was born from human thoughts, was it a coalescence of people's desire for freedom? If so, what did killing it represent? Denying people that dream? Or encouraging them to pursue that dream, rather than leaving it simply that?
"Toshiaki. Let's put this thing out of its misery."
Toshiaki nodded, and the two of them summoned their Personas. Aoife took out her trusty laser pistols, and Conchobar moved into his helicopter's cockpit, ready to fire. With both of them locked onto their target, their human users clicked their fingers, and immediately bullets started to pierce bloody holes through the Hresvelgr's wings.
"Whoa!" Masato said, a little disturbed at the sight.
"Brutal Barrage!"
The onslaught finally ended with two rather explosive shots, sending the Shadow onto the ground, the spirits within fading away. At last, the battle had come to an end.
"...May you four fly free, as I once did. Farewell."
Hresvelgr squawked, and as it burst away into darkness, many of its feathers fluttered down from the sky. Several of them were absorbed by the various Gnosis devices nearby.
"Phew. We did it..." Evelina said. "Even if we needed some help."
"I thought we were strong enough for anything, but..." Toshiaki said, dejected.
"We might not have won if it was just the two of us." Masato said. "Come on, let me introduce you to everybody else -"
Masato gasped. Bullets had just hit the ground near him, yet they were not from the Personas that had just slain their Shadow foe. Not only that, a window in a building across the road had just been smashed, and its shards rained down on the ground. Two more figures jumped down, and approached the battlefield.
"Koyanagi-sensei?!"
"Astute as always, Masato Yoshinaga. Yes, it's as you see. I'm one of the Aeon Administrators." Shiro said, smirking. "Did you imagine your secret life to be quite the exciting diversion from my lessons?"
"Why the hell would you be with Bythos?!" Natsumi demanded.
"Because it is necessary. Or do you feel you deserve a better answer than that?" Shiro asked.
"Enough. We'll take you two into our custody." Rinaka said, aiming her guns. "We're good to students from Chieki. Asami will be more than happy to show you the ropes."
"Shit..." Masato said.
"Actually, I think you'll find these students are in my care."
Shiro's smug smile quickly vanished. Having just appeared was a very familiar face, albeit one he had not seen in more than a decade. Alongside her was a man in a military uniform – one Rinaka faltered at the sight of.
"Michiko. You're certainly moving up in the world..." Shiro uttered, bitterly. "Still think you know what the 'right thing' is, do you?"
"I know enough to know that Bythos is never going to do the right thing for Shinshuto. Ever."
"Are you still trying to 'save' me, Kita-san?" Rinaka asked, disparagingly. "I'm no longer in need of a saviour, in either of our two worlds."
"Maybe not. But if you're going to drag these innocent children into your dark schemes, then I'll be their saviour, no matter how many bullets you've loaded."
Evelina and Toshiaki, unsure what to do, looked towards their younger classmates. It seemed even they were hesitant of what may happen next.
"You two!" Shiro shouted. "You will fight alongside us."
"W-What?" Evelina stammered.
"You heard him, Evelina. Help us defeat your classmates. Then we can go after all their allies, until Bythos is unopposed once more!" Rinaka shouted.
"No!" Natsumi screamed.
"You can't!" Masato protested.
"There's no going back from this, kid." Hiroyuki said. "This time, you can't talk your away out of things."
Masamune emerged, despite Masato's protests. A fiery Bakuenken shot forth at its quartet of foes, and dispersed into red hot flames.
"Tch!"
Angered, Rinaka shot at the soldier, and got behind her allies. Breksta then emerged, and launched a Striking Missile, exploding near Hiroyuki with violent force.
"What are you waiting for?!" The Admin said, pointing at Evelina. "Stop hesitating and defeat our oppressors!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Evelina said, Aoife appearing. Concentrating, she summoned the darkness of Eiga, hitting Natsumi quite sharply.
"Evelina-senpai, are you really loyal to Bythos?" Natsumi asked, wincing. "Why?!"
"They're...doing what's right by the people of the city. And they're protecting my father from rivals who would destroy Aramis!" The Swede cried out. "I...I didn't think I'd have to do this, but I don't have a choice!"
She fired her bullets at Natsumi, but the young girl span her bo staff at incredible speed, managing to shield herself from several hits. Next, she called down Brigid.
"So that's it. Bythos protect your dad in exchange for your undying loyalty?" Natsumi asked, disgusted. "I can't believe I ever looked up to you and Toshi! Maragion!"
Yet more flames came to engulf the battlefield. While the two seniors of Chieki were somewhat burnt, their older comrades seemed less sensititve to the heat. Shiro, smirking, turned his attention to Masato, who was rushing at him with his club.
"Ha! You can't beat me so easily!" The teacher said, slashing the boy with his sword. "You're one of the most vexing students I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. I'm sick to death of your antics. But once I defeat you and your friends, you'll never slack off in my lessons again!"
"Like hell I'll join you!" Masato shouted. Powering himself with Camulus's Tarukaja, he fought back against Shiro. "You hate everyone in your class, not just me! Why the hell is Toshiaki fighting for you?"
"I doubt someone who consistently fails my exams would understand his motivations." Shiro said. "Mergen! Grim Launcher!"
Mergen's dark sword hit the young boy, who was too consumed with resentment to notice the imminent attack. Soon, Masato was flying through the sky – and shot by Rinaka. Not only that, Conchobar cast a Mabufu on everybody, making the falling boy's descent rather cold indeed.
"No! Ow..." Natsumi said, doubling over in pain. Michiko rushed in front of her, and glared at the boy who had cast the ice spell.
"You should have known better than to get involved with the likes of Bythos!" Michiko said, as her military comrade targeted Shiro. Toshiaki gulped, and flinched as Hiroyuki pulled the trigger. "Toshiaki Yukimora, what do you hope to gain from this?"
"I..." Toshiaki murmured. "I need to find out the truth. That's all I can say...it's my own business, Masato-kun!"
"You heard the boy, Michiko. It's not your concern. Doesn't stop you trying to interfere, though. Well, if you insist on getting in my way again, I might just have to make this a rather bloody reunion." Shiro said, hatefully.
"Damn you, Shiro!"
Nidaba's Page of History was turned, and the flurry of sharp paper hit the entire team, cutting them across the face and body. Toshiaki groaned in pain, dropping the grenade he had been planning to throw. Panicking, he kicked it as far as he could, but completely missed any target. Instead, the bomb blew up a shop window, setting off a blaring alarm.
"What was that? You can't even handle basic grenades? No wonder you're failing my subject so miserably." Shiro scoffed. As the student glared at him, the teacher laughed.
While other battles were nearing to a close in Hiyashi, it appeared this one would rage on.
|Book Wyrm|17:46 pm|
The fight had taken longer than anticipated. Yet Ogma's powerful Garula had beaten the Berserker at long last, knocking it down. Its body disappeared into darkness, never to be seen again.
"Hmmph. Maybe now you'll calm down." Kei said, putting away her katana. With her new Persona, La Llorona, she had been able to addle the violent warrior's mind, while her sword pierced its hardened skin. Likewise, Shintaro had proven his own skill, nimbly dodging many of the warrior's strikes.
"Not bad." Shintaro said, somewhat half-hearted.
"Shintaro, I..." Kei began. "I'm sorry about before."
"Forget it. I guess it might look weird to a lot of people. But I feel like I know Celestine really well by now. She's been so honest, so true to herself. It's part of what makes her such a great novelist. I guess if you've never met her, you wouldn't understand."
Suddenly, Kei looked tearful.
"No, Shintaro, you're the one that doesn't understand. There...there's something I..."
"What? What is it now?" Shintaro asked, frustrated.
"I need to tell you something. About everything. The reason why I'm here at all." Kei began, looking to the side. "It all started when...my friends in my class...at..."
"At where? Your old high school?"
"...No. I can't do it. I can't!" Kei said, her eyes welling up. She burst into tears. "I...I can't tell you just now...I'm so sorry..."
"Why not?" Shintaro asked. "You can tell me anything! I'll listen!"
"I'm sorry, Shintaro-kun!"
With that, Kei suddenly ran out of the store, holding her head in her hands. Shintaro stood there, in shock, watching as she dashed as far away as she could.
"Kei, what is it with you? What is it I don't understand?"
|Mana Tower|17:50 pm|
Even after the fall of the Corpse Swallower, the area around the tower was still embroiled in conflict. Evelina, staring down Natsumi, fired yet another volley of bullets.
"I wish I could have found you before Bythos did..." Natsumi said. "I wanted to tell you all about what a Gnosis really was!"
"It's too late, Natsumi. I'm sorry. Aoife, go!"
Natsumi gasped. The Persona in the green dress aimed her laser pistols at the fashion lover, but took no pleasure in the coming onslaught. A dark image appeared over the girl – a Cursed Crosshair. There was no escape – two jets of black light hit her, sending her to the ground with a burst of purple smoke.
"Ah!" Natsumi screamed. "Fine, I guess I'll have turn the heat up! Convection Course!"
Brigid encased Evelina in a sphere of burning orange flames. Screaming, Evelina could only watch as she was hurled at Natsumi, who sent her flying high into the sky – causing a fiery explosion, that turned bight red. Evelina collapsed to the ground, in deep agony, struggling to get up.
"See that? That's how tough us twins can be!" Masato yelled, clashing with Toshiaki. "I've been fighting Shadows after school just so I can be on top of the freaks in Bythos. I can beat even my own senpai!"
"You think so? Then just try it!" Toshiaki said, somewhat forced. Without holding anything back, he slashed with his claw, as Masato lunged with his club.
"Eat this! Spirit Shock!"
A fairly large storm of electricity was formed by Camulus, which shocked Toshiaki and his allies to their core. This phenomena appeared to consist of both damaging yellow bolts and strange blue bolts. Rinaka swore, her energy reserves dwindling. Toshiaki, however, retained his cocky facade.
"Heh. Nice work, kid. But you still can't hold a candle to Chieki's greatest athlete! Frost Flash!"
Masato's brute force was halted by the chilling sphere of light, that seemed to freeze him all over. The ice shattered soon after by Shiro's blade.
"You bastard! I knew you were a dick the first day I ended up in your class. What, being the worst teacher alive wasn't enough for you? You had to be a psycho in this world to?"
"You should stop talking, you brainless drone. It's a miracle Chieki ever accepted you. I pity Keiya for losing to you before. I won't make the same mistake, however..."
His eyes wandered, however, to Michiko. She was charging at him, her anger deep. Amused at the sight, Shiro and Mergen called upon the anger of the Earth – via Mamagnara.
"Oww!" Natsumi yelled. "Suzuki-sensei, what do we do?!"
"We fight, for as long as it takes..." Michiko said. "Nidaba, go!"
With a graceful jot of her quill, the Persona conjured a colorful whirlwind, striking Shiro rather abruptly. As the teacher fell, he was shot in the chest by Hiroyuki's mighty rifle.
"Impressive shot." Michiko said politely.
"I took extensive training. I like to be at my very best." Hiroyuki replied. "Masamune and I exist for one purpose, to fight so that no one else must take up arms. Fudo!"
Many small swords were sent down from Masamune's arms, each slicing through their intended targets. Toshiaki was struck down by one, while Evelina remained in agony, barely able to raise herself. Rinaka had one hit her right across the face, much to her chagrin.
"I think I've had enough of your rusty kitchen knives for one evening, soldier. Breksta! Destroy him and the others! Now!"
Breksta's rifle was glowing brighter than ever. She aimed at the sky, and fired – sending what seemed to be a hundred red lasers into the clouds. These came flying back down at her enemies, far stronger than any bullet. Natsumi and Masato screamed in agony, falling to their knees and dropping their weapons.
The four younger fighters were exhausted, and too weary to even swing their weapons. The adults, however, were fighting with their full strength, with Michiko parrying Shiro's swordsmanship rather deftly.
"Damn you!" The Mathematics teacher slashed forward, no longer with restraint. "Even now, you repulse me."
"Not half as much as you repulse me, I'm sure." Michiko said, blocking each ferocious swing, her blades flashing brightly. "Does Toshiaki know anything of your misdeeds?"
"Tch...misdeeds?" Shiro grimaced. "Once we have our way, it won't matter what he knows. I can finally put things right."
Michiko glared fiercely at her former friend, leaping backwards. Her Persona cast down Psio, while her foe hit her with Magnara.
"Put things right? You selfish bastard! You'll only be happy if everything suits your ideal future." Michiko said, angrily.
"It wouldn't just be my dream. Kaede told me how much she wished she had married me after college, more times than I can count!" Shiro said, raising his voice. "Her dearest wish was to restart everything, and be with someone she truly loved. Not someone she 'kind of liked' that her parents pressured her into marrying!"
Toshiaki went numb. This was not what he wanted to hear, at all. Seeing that vision of Shiro talking to Nisa Liat for the first time, he hadn't been entirely sure if any of that was real, or just a paranoia-fuelled nightmare caused by the EX-HIHILO. Yet, it seemed this was reality.
His mother, who seemed to be so much in love with his father, had truly wanted to be with his most hated teacher in the world.
Kaede would rather have married Shiro Koyanagi. That ill-tempered, cynical, snide bastard who Toshiaki despised for years.
"…You're looking rather harried, Kita-san." Rinaka said. "If only your group knew the truth. Then you wouldn't be so determined to hinder us."
"The truth? What truth would that be?" Hiroyuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I used to be in the police before I went into the private security business. But Shinshuto's police department is rotten to its core. Not one soul among them cares for true justice. They only care about making themselves look good, and covering up their vile nature – with your precious Mayor's helping hand, no doubt!" Rinaka shouted, angry.
"Do you truly believe everything Nisa Liat tells you?" The sergeant asked, firing another shot. His Persona's sword narrowly missed, and he had to duck from Breksta's rocket.
"You idiot. I didn't need Nisa Liat to find out the truth. She simply gave me the means to fight back against an evil system. One way or another, the police force we have to endure in this city will be dismantled. And Bythos will take its place. And we won't be corrupted, by either man or Shadow!" Rinaka shouted.
"...Michiko." Hiroyuki said. "Let's put an end to this."
"Right." The Biology teacher said, nearing closer to her comrade.
"Rinaka!" Shiro said, still irate. "Put aside your righteous anger. We must synergise!"
"...I know." Rinaka said. Her Gnosis seemed to be glowing bright yellow, which she seemed to ignore. "Here we go!"
Breksta was shrouded in an ominous purple aurora, that seemed almost like flames. This whirlwind of unearthly light grew more turbulent, as Mergen channelled his own energy.
"Nightmare's Tor!"
Toshiaki, still tormented by what he had just heard, barely registered the supreme power being generated by the two Personas. Evelina, however, watched with dread.
"Brace yourself. This won't be pretty." Hiroyuki said, biting his lip.
The swordsman pierced the ground with his blade, but he was sent flying backwards by a gigantic lightning bolt. Rinaka gulped. Her Gnosis was shaking, and sparks were flying everywhere. The awaited rockfall never happened, but inside lighting bolts began shocking the area indiscriminately.
"No!" Evelina said. "Toshi! Tamura-san is in danger?"
"W-What?" Toshiaki murmured.
She grabbed him by the hand, and ran nearer Rinaka, who's Gnosis was overloading with power. Try as she might, she could not put a stop to this release of power.
"Rinaka, what the hell is going on?!" Shiro demanded, furious. "That infernal Seal Evil app – hurry up and figure out what's wrong!"
"That's what I've been trying to do, you oaf!" Rinaka shouted. She tapped the screen furiously, but then her phone flew out of her hands, the shock sending its owner to the ground. It seemed to be absorbing energy, creating a forcefield around the four within its reach.
"What's happening?!" Masato yelled.
"Suzuki-sensei, please do something!" Natsumi wailed.
"Hiroyuki..." Michiko said, looking at her comrade. "What do we do now?"
"We have to put a stop to Rinaka's Gnosis. That should halt this -"
Before any sort of plan could be put into motion, however, a gigantic flash of light occurred within the forcefield. Then, it seemed to expand, but turning into a huge explosion of lightning. The twins ran back, as far as their legs could carry them.
Finally, however, the sphere of lightning receded into a single point, that disappeared in a puff of dark smoke. Once all seemed quiet, Masato stopped, panting for breath. Hesitantly, he turned around, and started to walk back to the scene – dreading what he might see.
"...Holy shit."
Hiroyuki looked in horror at the resulting carnage. The Mana Tower's front facade was crumbling, and every single window shattered into falling shards of glass. There was a massive crater in the centre of the crosswalk. Most of the parked vehicles nearby had been reduced to ashes, smoke still drifting from their remains.
"Oh my god..." Natsumi said. "Evelina...where did she go?"
"Toshiaki!" Masato screamed. "Where are you?!"
The four left behind were silent. No trace seemed to be left of their enemies. Their Gnosis didn't give them any answers, either.
"Michiko, do you think..." Hiroyuki began to ask, but she shook her head, motioning to the twins.
"Don't finish that thought. Not in front of them." Michiko said. "...We have to return to the hotel and report what happened. Right now. Please, you two."
The twins stared, still numb with horror, at the crater. Even as they were warped away, they didn't tear their eyes from where their senpai had stood.
|Bythos Citadel|18:14 pm|
"...What?"
Evelina opened her eyes, and gasped. The four of them had wound up in a room that, judging by the décor, must have been Bythos' headquarters. But it was a room that she had not yet seen, one that seemed to be an art gallery of some type. The paintings had meticulous gold frames, but all seemed to be rather surreal landscapes.
One caught Evelina's attention in particular. It had swirling purple colours, all gathering towards two twinkling green eyes. Behind it seemed to be a familiar looking map.
Isn't that Gothenburg? What the hell is this painting supposed to be?
"Where the heck are we, guys?" Toshiaki asked, his body aching all over.
"Miraculously, we've returned to our HQ. Although this room is one I've never understood the purpose of." Shiro said, rather bedraggled. "Nisa Liat may just have eclectic tastes in art."
"But what the heck happened when you guys tried to use that fusion skill?" Evelina asked.
"Decima was trying to break free from her Seal." Rinaka said, glaring at her Gnosis. It seemed to be normal now, and the app showed the seal was still in place. "Unfortunately for her, the seal is much stronger than her own individual power. But with our Personas generating such energy, it must have given her the courage to try to break fee. Had she succeeded, we might not have survived..."
"Seems the Seal kicked in just before things could take a turn for the worse." Shiro added. "Thus, we arrived here. Painfully, perhaps, but...alive."
"Damn. We got lucky, when you think about it." Toshiaki said, wiping sweat from his brow. "But what about Masato and Natsumi? Are we just going to let them go?"
"Provided they weren't caught up in the blast, I doubt they'll stick around and wait for us to return." Shiro said, annoyed. "We'll have to capture our enemies another day. In the mean time, we'll call it a day here. That fight took more out of me that I thought."
"...Okay." Rinaka said, annoyed herself. "Hiroyuki, that fool. His loyalty to the Mayor isn't worth anything. Just like mine to the police, all those years ago."
Shiro nodded. "Speaking of misplaced loyalty, I think our foes will soon learn about that. But that's out of my hands. You two should return home now. Just remember one thing, though. If you get any ideas of leaving our group and joining with our enemies..."
"Svante and Tetsuo might suffer the consequences." Rinaka said, sternly. "See you later, then."
Within seconds, Toshiaki and Evelina were sent back to the outskirts of Chieki, away from the darkness of the Theio Kosmos.
|Gold Laguna Hotel|18:30 pm|
The team had returned after their various battles. Kei stood further back from everyone, wiping away her tears from earlier. She had not said a word to Shintaro since they reunited and warped back to the hotel, and he doubted she would offer an explanation to her behaviour if he asked for one.
Looks like she's not the only one who got emotional tonight. Look at the twins. What happened?
Once everyone else gave their reports, it was time for the twins. However, they were overcome with emotional, forcing Michiko and Hiroyuki to relate to their tale of woe. Toshiaki and Evelina, having gained Personas, had been recruited by Bythos, and were on their way to becoming Aeon Admins. Worse, they were personally being mentored by Rinaka Tamura and one of Chieki's teachers, Shiro Koyanagi.
"They had sealed the other of the Parcae, Decima, in Rinaka's Gnosis." Hiroyuki said. "When she and Shiro tried to combine their strength, Decima's energy got mixed in, causing some sort of reaction. Once it was over, there was no sign of either the Admins or their underlings."
"What do you think happened to them?" Shigeru asked.
"I don't know for sure." Michiko said. "But I suspect they survived, and ended up away from Hiyashi. Shiro's quite a resilient man, and very stubborn. When he's convinced he's right, it's nigh impossible to convince him otherwise."
"How do you know so much about him?" Reia asked, curious.
"He was a friend of mine in college. Alongside Toshiaki's parents, Tetsuo and Kaede. The four of us were firm friends, even after we graduated."
The others stared at her, curious. This was the first time Shintaro had heard his teacher talk about her past in any detail, he realised. And from the look in her eyes, it was not a pleasant story.
"So what happened between you guys? Doesn't sound like he was too pleased to see you again." Netuno said, rather casually.
"That's an understatement. It's quite a long story." Michiko said, despondently. "Shiro was very fond of Toshiaki's mother, ever since they first met in class. He tried to play it cool, but it was obvious how desperately he loved her. But after college, she married Tetsuo, and they had two children together. Both men loved her – desperately. They were always trying to do things to impress her. Tetsuo was the more confident one, though, so he made his feelings clear right from the start. One night, he even serenaded her while riding a unicycle and juggling."
I really don't think I'd do that for Celestine, somehow.
"No matter how I tried, Shiro wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't move on. I had a feeling something terrible would happen if he confessed his true feelings, and in a way, I was right."
"What do you mean, Michiko?" Novalie asked. "Did Kaede reject him?"
"Far from it. Deep down, she was so miserable. She never truly felt happy as Tetsuo's wife. She only married him because her family pressured her into accepting his proposal, all because the Yukimora family had a higher social standing than anyone in Shiro's family. So when Shiro finally confessed his feelings, she was overjoyed. It had been him she wanted to be with all along. And so, they carried on meeting in secret, more and more frequently. Then, when they were on a romantic walk at night, I stumbled upon them..."
The group stared in silence. This sounded somewhat like a tragedy Shintaro had read once, he thought. Yet Michiko seemed to be holding back tears as she told the story.
"They begged me not to tell Tetsuo, dreading what might happen if their affair became public. Kaede's family would disown her if they knew, and Shiro was frightened any personal drama would affect his promising teaching career. Hoping their affair would fizzle out, I promised to keep quiet. But their relationship only grew more passionate. Then one day, it turned out Kaede was pregnant. Tetsuo was overjoyed, except I knew that it could very well be Shiro's child..." Michiko said.
"But...Toshiaki only has a little brother." Natsumi said, looking up in horror. "You don't mean -"
"Finally, I had to do something. I told Tetsuo everything. He needed to know the truth – even if he hated me for keeping it from him for so long. And when he confronted Shiro, well...a lot more than angry words were exchanged. There was a brawl far more violent than any I've seen in this world. After everything that would happen that night, they could never be friends again. Words were said that couldn't be taken back."
"What about Kaede? He didn't..." Hiroyuki trailed off, uncomfortable with finishing that thought.
"No!" Michiko said. "He didn't raise a finger to her. But he was still devastated. He had been betrayed by the three people he had loved since his college years. His best friend had stolen his wife's heart, and I had kept the secret. They argued all night long. Then, Kaede finally left the family home, rushing towards the house of her true love. He was the only person she could still trust. I must have called her a hundred times, but she never answered."
"….She didn't make it there, did she?" Kohaku asked, anxiously.
Michiko shook her head. "I'm not exactly sure what happened. Either it was too dark, or she didn't look where she was going, or she was too distraught to notice. But a delivery truck hit her dead on. She...died before they could get her to the hospital."
"Oh my god..." Shintaro said. "That's..."
"I've been asking myself, ever since that night...why didn't I just tell Tetsuo right from the start? Maybe I could have saved our friendships. And Kaede's third child. When the anniversary of her death came this year, I...I couldn't get my thoughts together. That was why I was absent for so long…I needed help. I spoke to a counsellor about all of this...and little by little, I thought I had come to terms with everything. And now Shiro's with Bythos, no doubt deceived by that Nisa Liat!"
She raised her voice with those last words, fighting back her own tears.
"Suzuki-sensei, I'm so sorry. I had no idea..." Akari said, emotional herself.
"Me too." Kaii said. "...You never spoke to Shiro again until today, huh?"
"The last time I saw him was at the funeral. Once the service was over, Tetsuo spoke to us privately. In no uncertain terms, we were told to never come near him or his children again. Since then, he's raised those two boys alone, and they must have forgotten all about Shiro and me..." Michiko said. "I did meet Tetsuo again when I was out shopping recently, however. He was not happy to see me, to say the least."
"And now Shiro has Toshiaki working for him. What a terrible state of affairs..." Shigeru said, shaking his head. "Michiko. Even with all of this, do you think you can continue to fight alongside us? You might fight Shiro again, and next time, it may be to the bitter end."
She sat there for a while, and finally gazed Shigeru straight in the face.
"It's too late to reconcile our differences. I finally realised that now. So yes, I'll remain here with all of you. I must fight on, and put a stop to whatever delusions Shiro is under. And above all us, I have to save Toshiaki from whatever sick plot Nisa Liat has devised!"
"...I'm with you all the way, Suzuki-sensei." Shintaro said, smiling. "We'll help Toshiaki and Evelina see the light. And before long, we'll topple Bythos!"
Surprised, the teacher stared at her student, and eventually her face lit up with a proud smile. She had confided with him and the others her deepest sorrow, and now the team had a clearer idea of their goal.
Bythos must be destroyed, and all those they had enslaved must be set free from their curse. The chains of sorrow would be broken, little by little.